Providing best interest advocacy for children in foster care since 1993. |
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Keith O'Brien Executive Director |
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My son, Everett, loves to play with Lego. No matter what set he gets, he almost always comes up with a plan to adjust, modify, or improve upon the build. For example, the marine research boat he got for Christmas now has an anchor, and his police mobile command truck has been turned into a superhero’s secret headquarters. |
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Our overall mission at CASA has been the same for 25 years, but nuance and innovation of that mission abound. Recently, one of our staff successfully and persuasively participated in a settlement conference, something that is rarely done in dependency cases. Additionally, we’re constantly tweaking our approaches or developing new ideas to continue to provide high quality advocacy to the children in care in our region.
What doesn’t change, however, is the work that we have to do each day. It’s not flashy or exciting—we’re not performing surgery or rescuing a kitten from a tree—our work lies in the magnificent mundane. When you invest in our mission, your investment is in the fundamental work of sitting with, and advocating for these children, in the most challenging moments of their young lives. The value is in our ability to continue to adapt, innovate, and raise the bar of our expertise so that all kids in our county benefit.
Thank you for allowing us to continue to iterate and constantly improve this work and our mission. |
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Your support this holiday season was monumental! Thanks to you, we are able to provide advocacy for 58 children in foster care, AND we met our $15,000 match from The Robert & Mary Jane Smith Foundation! |
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We are deeply grateful for your commitment to this life-changing work. Because of you, more children in our community will have the advocacy they deserve and the chance to thrive. |
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CASA volunteer Jason was appointed to a case with a young child. The parents had done everything ODHS had asked them to do. However, due to the parent's extensive substance use, the child had lived most of their life on and off with different relatives and now resource foster parents. The parents had never parented the child full time and still needed help develiping a relationship with the child and learning parenting skills.
At a hearing, the attorneys were pushing for dismissal and return of the child to the parents that afternoon. ODHS was still uncomfortable returning the child full-time, as the parents were only having a couple of short parenting-time sessions per week at that point.
Jason suggested a thoughtful, gradual transition home, starting with longer parenting visits. After those were successful, they could move to overnight stays and then full weekends, eventually leading to reunification.
This approach would give the child and parents time to adjust, ensure the parents could implement what they had learned in parenting classes, and demonstrate that they could provide a safe environment. The judge agreed with the CASA and established a timeline for the transition. The case closed about five months later with the child back home with their parents.
Bonus: The resource family and biological family remain connected. The resource family continues to support the parents, providing respite care and continuity for the child. |
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Our second quarter ended on December 31st, 2024 and we are so proud of everything that our volunteers accomplished!
From October 1st to December 31st, our volunteers and staff served 241 children and 156 families. We are serving 91% of children in foster care in Clackamas County. Thank you so much to our volunteers for your hard work and dedication! |
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We still have children waiting for their own CASA. Are you interested in becoming a CASA volunteer or know someone who may be? We need volunteers! Please click the button below to view more about becoming a CASA volunteer and see the schedule for upcoming Information Sessions. You can also share this link on your social media!
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We are thrilled to announce our Black & White Gala at The Oregon Golf Club on May 9th, 2025! Join us for a night filled with fun auction prizes, interactive games, a live auction, dinner, dancing, and more! |
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13th Annual CASA Golf Tournament |
Give youth in foster care the advocacy they need to thrive: on August 22nd, we are hosting our 13th Annual Golf Tournament at Stone Creek Golf Club! |
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Each ticket includes a swag bag, grab-and-go breakfast, two drink tickets, access to a complementary keg on the course, and lunch with an auction to follow your game.
Registration opens soon! If you or your company are interested in sponsoring, please contact Tammy McKay at tmckay@casa-cc.org - for all other event inquiries please contact Arianna Ebert at aebert@casa-cc.org
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CASA of Clackamas County is proud to be rated highly by Candid, and by Oregon Business' 100 Best Nonprofits to work for in Oregon. We know that when you support us, you are trusting us to use your money to further our mission, and we are dedicated to transparency. You can view our page Candid for more information on our scores and reporting.
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Our Contact Information
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